


loafing around

by shepherd



Series: libnyx week [2]
Category: Final Fantasy XV
Genre: Alternate Universe - Bakery, Domestic Fluff, Fluff, Kissing, M/M, Sleepiness, not really any plot tbh just libnyx nonsense
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-03-02
Updated: 2018-03-02
Packaged: 2019-03-26 04:20:05
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,761
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13849971
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shepherd/pseuds/shepherd
Summary: “Stay,” he spoke through a shredded throat, vague and barely alive in his half asleep state.Making all the right sympathetic noises, Nyx pet at Libertus’ still loosely tied hair. He carefully pulled the band free and those heavenly fingers tangled through the free strands. Fingertips carefully massaged his scalp. A shiver trailed all the way down Libertus’ spine.“I’ll come back when I’ve grabbed more clothes from my apartment,” Nyx promised, petting all the while, and Libertus grunted.





	loafing around

For the first time in a long while, Nyx woke peacefully and to the feeling of fingers drawing through his hair. There was no sunlight searing against his eyelids. Only the fine brush of familiar fingers and the slow recognition of warmth and affection, and Nyx smiled. A lazy curl of lips, and words felt far beyond him. Still he persevered.

“Hey,” He croaked.

A soft exhale in the darkness came like laughter. Rumbling familiarity filled Nyx’s chest to the brim with joy. Even if his eyes refused to open and his limbs felt useless, that happiness would linger. He could smell faint cigarette smoke and stale sweat. A common scent at that time in the morning, and despite the sourness it was welcome. “Hi.”

Nyx turned his head from the pillow. At the touch of cold air he pulled a face. “That time already?”

It didn’t feel like he had been asleep for seven hours. It felt like he had simply closed his eyes for a fleeting second while watching his stupid reruns on TV. But he had set his alarm as faithfully as always and the television had been switched off. Still morning air from the opened windows freshened up the room. Nyx knew it was morning.

“‘Fraid so,” Libertus tucked a strand behind Nyx’s ear. Despite everything it was still faintly damp. On the weekdays Nyx washed his hair in the late evening and worked it into tameable braids in the morning for ease. It smelt like crisp, fresh apples. “Morning.”

God, he thought. Another early morning and a long day ahead. The daily grind could be a terrible thing. Nyx groaned in only half exaggerated agony. Groping around on the bed sheets he didn’t rest until he had found Libertus’ palm, lifting it to his mouth for a kiss. Still he dared not open his eyes - breaking the illusion meant that his duties were real. If he hadn’t seen the sunlight, it wasn’t officially time to wake. “Morning,” he returned, sounding rough as if his throat was a column of sand. “How was work?”

“Same as always.” Throwing drunken idiots out of a popular club had lost its sweaty, nerve wracking allure a few weeks into the new job. Most nights the worst was a spilled drink and a few hysterical screams for no real reason, kids trying to sneak in while they thought Libertus was distracted. It was still one hell of a hustle and brought in good money but Libertus was no longer young - every joint protested when he stood motionless for too long. Standing in the chill waving in people barely over half his age all night was murder on his feet, and when your lover did day shifts like everyone else, there was little chance of a foot rub when he got home.

And still there was no sight of the sun. Their alarm clock read just past four am. Even the sky had yet to lighten - Libertus had walked all the way home with his hands shoved deep in his pockets, wishing the stars had not become so obscured. Instead he counted each step until he staggered over the threshold of his apartment, praying that Nyx had taken his invitation and stayed the night again. Home was never as peaceful if Nyx wasn’t curled up in his bed. Thankfully he so rarely spent the night at his own apartment now, halfway across the city with asshole neighbours. Libertus much prefered the thought of him safe and warm and waiting for him.

Slinking into bed on dreary winter mornings after a long shift was always perfect. It was just a shame that as he burrowed under, Nyx was slipping away.

Nyx exhaled slowly and Libertus said nothing more. Squeezing the hand that clutched his, he broke away and shed his heavy wool coat, damp with the frost. Leather jackets had not been his style for a few years now, nor did they serve any practical function come December. Every time he was Nyx’s beaten, patched up old jacket hanging in Libertus’ hallway he would smile, vow to pressure him into buying something thicker. As much as Libertus loved how he crowded closer as they walked along the streets, practically bundling into Libertus’ coat, it wasn’t practical.

Nyx caught the rustle and finally opened his eyes, tempted by the promise of bare skin. Libertus caught his intense gaze and grinned, cocking his hips and pretending to make a show of peeling off his sweater, thumbing through the buttons of his undershirt. Long legs kicked off his pants decidedly less gracefully and his vulnerable skin was completely bare to the cold when he toed out of his thick thermal socks. Nyx admired every single hard line and soft curve.

Thoughts of a shower were ignored. Never mind the stench, Libertus thought. The sheets needed changing in the morning - or the afternoon, he supposed - and Nyx’s squirming was impossible to ignore.

As Libertus lifted the sheets, Nyx murmured and writhed in complaint at the bite of the chill. He shrank away from the invasion until Libertus was safely tucked underneath. Only then did he shuffle back into his rightful place, careful to seal any gaps exposing them to the cruel world outside. Nyx ran hot, his skin smooth and comforting, and he happily shared his warmth. Any excuse to draw close.

An arm slung over Nyx’s waist. The cold skin made him shiver but Nyx pressed flush up against his lover, sighing in contentment. He tucked his head in the crook of Libertus’ wide shoulders and caressed the silken skin of his thigh.

Then, decidedly less romantic cigarettes and sweat. “You stink.” Nyx complained lightly but made no attempt to escape.

“Sorry,” Libertus said, unconvincingly. A broad palm flattened over the small of Nyx’s back, thankfully warm. A thumb stroked over the subtle bumps of Nyx’s spine. The motion had him purring in delight, leaning a little harder against him. Libertus followed the curve of his back faithfully. Skin against skin made them tremor.

“You should take a shower with me,” Nyx said against Libertus’ ear, hot breath billowing. The fine hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. Mischievous hands cupped his biceps and a quick mind daydreamed about slick muscle and warm hands pressing him into the tiled wall as water ran down his back, soaked his hair. It was a dance they had done many times before and Nyx was always longing.

“You still ain’t learned?” Unable to ignore the temptation of warm and willing skin, Libertus pressed a sloppy and stubbly kiss to Nyx’s cheek. If his hand dropped a little lower and squeezed, it was only a game between them. “You get into that shower with me, you ain’t gonna open the bakery up on time.”

He felt Nyx’s answering smile now against his throat. “Rush doesn’t come in ‘til six anyway.”

“So you better get your ass up and ready,” Libertus finished with one last pat to Nyx’s backside, and his sigh was equal parts defeated and accepting.

“Cruel.”

“Practical,” Libertus corrected, only for Nyx to turn his head and steal his lips in a kiss.

How Nyx avoided morning breath was a mystery. The mint Libertus had crushed between his molars as he left work was his only saving grace - Nyx hummed into his mouth, pleased at the fresh taste. Nyx laved his tongue across Libertus’ lips and sighed against him when Libertus responded just as eagerly. A nagging feeling told Libertus that if he didn’t break away soon Nyx would push his luck, as always, but he sunk down into the sensation for while longer. Nyx’s mouth was perfection.

And both would have loved nothing more than to spend a late night - or was it an early morning? Libertus didn’t know anymore - together and wake hours late side by side. Not for the first or last time Nyx considered finally getting around to hiring an apprentice. Shirking his duties didn’t seem so bad when it meant time alone with Libertus.

“Hate my job,” Nyx announced when the finally pulled apart, but still sat up. Libertus’ arm unhappily allowed his freedom. He watched as Nyx stretched, lithe and lean but his back cracking loudly. He settled down against a fat pillow but it didn’t feel as good as Nyx.

“I love your job.” Just for emphasis, he pet at his own stomach. It had never been exactly trim but as he got older it was getting harder and harder to keep Nyx’s cakes off. “Bring me back a pastry?”

“Oh, now I know why you love me,” Nyx said, and received a scruffy kiss for his troubles. On reflex he leaned in for more, a split second before he caught himself. But work had a strict schedule and Nyx could not be kept from it, no matter how enticing.

One leg peeked out of the bed to test the temperature. He winced. For cost saving the heat would not switch itself on for another half hour yet - that would have to be changed. In the arrogance of summer they always forgot how bitter the winters could be. Despite the cold he left the bed, making sure Libertus was guarded from the worst, and he only burrowed deeper. Satisfied eyes watched Nyx go, admiring the strong muscle under delectable skin, especially appreciative when Nyx bent to grab a pair of boxers left in a pile of clean washing. There was no pile for clothes that needed washing. Bits and pieces were strewn around Libertus’ bedroom, left where they were dumped, and later they would be kicked into a corner. Even later, they may have even been washed.

Nyx’s routine was deceptively simple. A quick refresher, the well practised preparation of his hair and the addition of clothes, the latter being Libertus’ least favourite part by far. Nyx wandered into the adjacent bathroom after stepping into his underwear and splashed his face with water. He brushed his teeth and loudly gargled mouthwash just to upset the neighbours, and Libertus knew he hadn’t brought a razor with him again. It was the second week running he had refused point blank to shave. It brings in the customers, he insisted, those hungry for more than pastries, something even sweeter. Libertus had pointedly left a spare pack of razors tucked inside his bathroom cupboard, to no avail.

It was difficult to keep track of what was Libertus’ now. When he squinted he saw that the pile of clean washing was largely Nyx’s. The scraps of fabric Nyx called boxers, his form fitting tanks, socks that seemed to no longer have pairs. More clothes were carefully hung in Libertus’ wardrobe. The damn thing was full to bursting and still Libertus’ wanted more. He would buy another for Nyx, take out the television for another wardrobe entirely if necessary. Nyx’s laughter in his kitchen and offkey singing in his shower wasn’t enough anymore.

Libertus relaxed as he listened to the sweet sounds of their domesticity. Nyx cluttered around in his bathroom happily. He hummed quietly and yawned loudly. All the while Libertus fought to keep his eyes open, to little success. It had been just another long night tortured by the thought of home.

And sometime later there was a hand on his jaw.

Libertus jerked awake from a shallow, dreamless sleep. He blinked blearily, grunted, and when his eyes finally focused he found Nyx dressed for work and standing over him. That mess of hair had been neatly braided back, scruff still messy on his cheeks, leather jacket on. Draped over one shoulder was Libertus’ favourite scarf. Nyx smiled, and light had finally begun to brighten up the room. It left a blue stain to the world as the sky shifted.

“I’m off,” he said, and Libertus started.

Somewhere between waking and dreaming his legs had become entangled in the sheets; sitting up was a hard won battle against circumstance and aching muscles but Nyx was an irresistible prize. He took a moment to rub the sleep from his eyes, forcing himself to become alert. All the while he complained wordlessly and let his hands do the real talking. Reaching out, he grasped at Nyx’s belt and hooked his fingers through the loops. A tiny strip of skin between shirt and jean was tantalizing.

“Stay,” he spoke through a shredded throat, vague and barely alive in his half asleep state.

Making all the right sympathetic noises, Nyx pet at Libertus’ still loosely tied hair. He carefully pulled the band free and those heavenly fingers tangled through the free strands. Fingertips carefully massaged his scalp. A shiver trailed all the way down Libertus’ spine.

“I’ll come back when I’ve grabbed more clothes from my apartment,” Nyx promised, petting all the while, and Libertus grunted.

“Move in with me,” he murmured, tugging him close enough to nearly force him tumbling back over the bed. He wanted many things - the weekend off for once, a chance to sleep entangled with Nyx, the warmth of his mouth. So many things, so much exhaustion his own mouth raced ahead without the permission of his brain. “Want you here all the time.”

Those hands paused a moment too long. Libertus pressed his face against the expanse of Nyx’s belly, sighing. He nudged his head into those hands in a silent plea for him to continue.

If he had more self awareness he might have fetched the spare key he had had made and then promptly hidden away in his panic. Might have rubbed his thumb over the little tacky plastic heart keychain he brought entirely on a whim alongside it. Barely awake and barely alive he was no longer capable of the fear and embarrassment that held him back.

In time those fingers continued. Slowly, carefully. “Very funny, Lib.”

“I mean it,” he insisted, with the whining tone of a petulant child. “Want you to stay with me. Should have asked you ages ago.”

“You serious?” There was something about Nyx’s voice. Not quite strangled, not quite confident. “You not fucking around?”

“Mmhm.” He had been dreaming of nothing else since. Those late nights he came home and found the apartment empty were always the coldest. There were Nyx’s favourite beers in the fridge and his shampoo lined up on the shower floor. It was ready. Libertus would make it theirs, if he could. “Love you.”

A breath. Nails scratched behind Libertus’ ear. “You just want me baking for you all evening, right?”

“Nuh uh,” Libertus insisted, sulky in a way that made Nyx laugh. The tremble wracked him and Libertus held on tighter, pressed his cheek against the warmth. His brows creased into a deep frown even as he delighted in Nyx’s laughter, imagining the precious curl of soft lips he longed for. “Just wanna see you. Wanna kiss you g’morning. And g’night.”

Fingers tugged at the very ends of his hair before they released him, cupping the back of Libertus’ skull before sliding down, stroking over his bare shoulders. “Real sweet, Lib.”

“I mean it.” His voice was muffled and he made no move to perfect it. Sleep lay in wait to claim him no matter how hard he fought to shake it free. He scrubbed at his own face hard. “Love you.”

“Alright,” Nyx said with a gentle squeeze of Libertus’ shoulders. With great care he trailed his fingertips along Libertus’ biceps and forearms, tickling his thick wrists and palms. He pried Libertus’ fingers from his belt loops carefully, but rubbed across the rough and scarred knuckles before letting him go. Nyx gracefully dropped to his knees, guiding Libertus back onto the mattress, and he put up no fight. Beneath him everything was soft and warm. Nyx’s lips against his brows only sent him spiralling deeper into peace. “I love you too,” he said, and pressed even more kisses along his cheeks and the prominent line of his nose. His breath tickled Libertus’ skin, warm with the scent of spearmint. “And I’d love to. We’ll talk after work, okay?”

Realisation flew completely over his head. Libertus only nodded, every limb heavy as the mattress seemed to melt around him. “Okay,” he said, and the very last thing he could remember before drifting off finally was the duvet being carefully tucked in around him and lips carefully pressing against his.

When he woke several hours later, it was to a carefully wrapped pastry on the bedside table, and a little heart scrawled on a post it note.

**Author's Note:**

> I have a tumblr, at libertusostiums!


End file.
